By the time you read this, Election Day in the U.S. will be over. Similar to previous elections, healthcare has remained one of 2020 voters’ top concerns. Although this year’s election was historic for many reasons, one of the main storylines throughout was the largest public health crisis of our time – the global COVID-19 pandemic. As the pandemic continues to cause worrisome health and economic consequences that will need to be addressed in the coming months and years, it also presents opportunities for accelerating innovations in healthcare delivery and pharmaceutical development.

Healthcare in 2021 Under the Biden Administration, hosted by the UNC Center for the Business of Health, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC), and the Duke Margolis Center for Health Policy, featured experts from prominent North Carolina health-focused organizations discussing the future picture for healthcare following the inauguration of President-Elect Joe Biden.

 The pandemic — especially the rollout of Covid-19 vaccines — has exposed the operational deficiencies of the U.S. health care system. They include valuing product innovation more than process innovation, inefficiently uses its workforce, inadequately plans for known unknowns, and fails to bring the supply of care to the demand for it. However, the pandemic is also offering lessons in how to overcome these problems.  

The factors determining a person’s health go far beyond what happens in the doctor’s office. To be healthy, a person must not only have access to healthcare but also be able to obtain healthy food and have a safe place to work, live and exercise. Community and social support also play an important role. In one out of five communities in the U.S., people can’t access what they need to be healthy. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated this problem and revealed just how much an individual’s health depends on their surrounding community. During the 2020 Business of Healthcare conference presented virtually by the UNC Center for the Business of Health in November 2020, experts from various parts of the nation’s healthcare system discussed contributors to social inequalities that affect health and examined how innovation and interconnectivity can build a more robust healthcare system.